Typhoon Kalmaegi Brings Devastation to Philippines as 26 Die in Flooding
A powerful typhoon swept across the central part of the Philippines, leaving a trail of destruction and death in its wake. The storm's fury was felt most acutely in Cebu province, where floodwaters trapped hundreds of people on their rooftops, and cars were submerged or floating on the streets.
At least 26 people have lost their lives in the disaster, with many more reported missing. The victims were mostly found in areas that were severely affected by flooding, which was caused by the typhoon's powerful winds and heavy rainfall.
Residents who attempted to seek higher ground were often met with obstacles, including debris-filled roads and buildings that had collapsed under the force of the storm. Many people were forced to wait for the floodwaters to subside before they could be rescued, as rescue teams struggled to reach them due to the sheer scale of the disaster.
"It's impossible," said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, in an interview with The Associated Press. "There are so many debris, you see cars floating so we have to wait for the flood to subside."
The typhoon's impact was exacerbated by a recent earthquake that hit Cebu province on September 30, which left at least 79 people dead and displaced thousands of others.
Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in the central Philippines early Tuesday, bringing with it sustained winds of 81 mph and gusts of up to 112 mph. The storm was forecast to blow away into the South China Sea late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
The Philippine archipelago is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.
A powerful typhoon swept across the central part of the Philippines, leaving a trail of destruction and death in its wake. The storm's fury was felt most acutely in Cebu province, where floodwaters trapped hundreds of people on their rooftops, and cars were submerged or floating on the streets.
At least 26 people have lost their lives in the disaster, with many more reported missing. The victims were mostly found in areas that were severely affected by flooding, which was caused by the typhoon's powerful winds and heavy rainfall.
Residents who attempted to seek higher ground were often met with obstacles, including debris-filled roads and buildings that had collapsed under the force of the storm. Many people were forced to wait for the floodwaters to subside before they could be rescued, as rescue teams struggled to reach them due to the sheer scale of the disaster.
"It's impossible," said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, in an interview with The Associated Press. "There are so many debris, you see cars floating so we have to wait for the flood to subside."
The typhoon's impact was exacerbated by a recent earthquake that hit Cebu province on September 30, which left at least 79 people dead and displaced thousands of others.
Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in the central Philippines early Tuesday, bringing with it sustained winds of 81 mph and gusts of up to 112 mph. The storm was forecast to blow away into the South China Sea late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
The Philippine archipelago is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.
this typhoon Kalmaegi is just devastating... 26 deaths is already a lot, can you imagine how many more might be dead if they had been rescued sooner? 
And the fact that people are stuck on their rooftops because of debris-filled roads is just crazy 
. I mean I know natural disasters happen all over the world but it's always so sad to see those kinds of images and read about them... sometimes I wish we could do more to prevent these kinds of tragedies from happening 
.
, another devastating typhoon hits the Philippines... like, what's going on with these storms? 26 people lost their lives already and the storm isn't even over yet? And now they're saying the earthquake that happened last month made things worse? That's just crazy 
. The fact that people had to wait for hours because of all the debris is just ridiculous 
. And what's with the forecast saying it'll blow away into the South China Sea? Are they not worried about other countries getting hit by it or something? It's always "pray for rain" or "pray for calm seas"... never "let's prepare for a storm" 
. Just so many questions 
The fact that rescue teams were struggling to reach them due to debris-filled roads and collapsed buildings is just devastating 
. And now, with the recent earthquake adding fuel to the fire, it's like the Philippines is being hit by one disaster after another 
or something... and what's with all these typhoons coming in every year? can't they just move the philippines to a different part of asia or something 
joking aside tho, my thoughts are with the people affected by this disaster 
and the fact that so many more are missing is even worse 
but that doesn't make it any less devastating 
can we just get some more advanced weather alert systems in place ASAP? 
and btw, has anyone seen the latest tech innovations from samsung or google that could help with disaster response? 
would be super helpful during times like these 
my heart goes out to those affected by this devastating typhoon 
... Philippines is one of the countries hit hardest by storms every year 
The fact that residents had to wait for hours for rescue teams to arrive because of all the debris is insane 
... I hope all those who are still missing get rescued soon 
... this typhoon seems like a nightmare come true